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Helicopter landing on an off-shore platform for a crew change #caption Crew change is a key logistic challenge that can be addressed by chartering helicopters and planes

Aircraft charter flight for Crew Change

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  1. Services
  2. Personnel Logistics
  3. Crew Change

Aircraft group charter for Crew Change

Sometimes your employees might be in areas, which are complicated to reach, for instance, an oilrig in the North Sea, a drilling vessel in a distant country and or even a small airport located in a remote part of the world. Commercial flights are definitely not a good option for crew change since they will not fly to such places. The best way for an effective crew change is by opting for group charter flights.

Charter Flight leaving the tarmac for crew change.
Charter flight leaving the tarmac for crew change.
Crew change for oil rigs require charter flights to travel from one place to another.
Crewmember at an oilrig after travelling by a charter flight.

Crew change in the oil and gas industry or disaster areas

If you are in need of replacement for your work team or crew, no matter where in the world, group charter flights are the right solution. This will allow you to transport your employees or even volunteers to essential places in the world where there might be important work to carry out, for instance, the need for ship crews, rescue teams with dogs or international aid.

Let’s take the example of the oil industry which is facing a major setback since the Covid-19 pandemic; in fact, the current circumstances involve a supply shock with a peak in demand drop and an international humanitarian crisis. This has led to both financial and structural problems in the oil industry. Research has shown that it will be hard to get back to normal to a profitable business like before since the depth and duration of the crisis are still unclear. Therefore, businesses are facing major challenges, which largely depends on global networks, and thus, managing crew change and rotations have become more complex. The restriction on scheduled airlines has made it more difficult and in such times, safety of staff remains a priority for many companies.

Companies are now making travel arrangements their focus, especially in the oil and gas sector to ensure that staff travel safely and reach their itineraries, both physically and mentally prepared to give their best at work. It is important to get the help of a company, having significant experience of chartering private flights in the energy industry in order to meet the challenges of oil and gas air charters. Hiring charter flights for crew change means that the aircraft can be retained for numerous trips, hence ensuring smooth operations without having to go through the hassles of commercial airlines with long waiting hours and flight connections.

Transport employees, even at unexpected times

Group charter flights will ensure that your employees fly directly to the nearest airport and if needed, a connecting helicopter can be arranged to reach the final destination. This normally takes place for crew change and even in situations such as the need to evacuate staff from a risk area such as threat of war or a natural disaster. With 24/7 assistance, such flights can be booked anytime online and can operate within the shortest delays to allow you to reach your last stop as quickly as possible.

Why should you opt for charter flights for crew change?

  • Charter flights are customised depending on your business needs.

  • Allow crew change to take place in remote areas.

  • Ensures that the team is secure in risky locations.

  • More time spent on sites instead of travelling.

  • Reduced costs for example, accommodation costs,

  • Same charter plane to head to different locations.

  • Crew change within short delays.

  • Staff are operational as soon as they reach their destination due to being less tired and unnecessary overnight hotel stay.

  • Ensures productivity and efficiently

  • Safely transport employees with little risk of catching the covid-19 virus. 

Planning crew change and travel during Covid-19 

The Covid-19 pandemic has made crew change a difficult process in the oil and gas industry due to limited flights and schedules; that is why charter flights are the best solutions in such times to prevent further losses for different companies in need of crew change.

There are three key areas to take into account when planning a crew change:

  1. Acquiring visas for both entry and transit.

  2. Lockdowns or quarantines imposed by the government in a particular country.

  3. Available flight connections and the documentation needed.

With problems such as restricted commercial flights, cancellations, the need to transfer crews directly between vessels & airports, and limits on international arrivals into important places – all these have led organisations to hire charter flights as the best way to reach their destinations without any problems.

It can be an expensive option if counted on a per head basis but it definitely allows your team to have more flexibility and work around delays. In such situations, crew change becomes a stress-free process since there are no flight cancellations, which usually add significant costs such as hotels bills etc. However, it is good to note that the cost can be reduced if charter flights are hired on a regular basis instead of a one-off flight.

More reasons to opt for oil and gas air charter 

There has been a considerable growth in the demand for customised flights as the pursuit for crew change moves to remote areas and difficult to reach geographical locations around the world, for example, in situations where new explorations areas open up. Charter flights act as a broker or we can say an alternative solution provider to get access efficiently to essential locations in regions that are inaccessible by scheduled carriers. With the help of experienced and dedicated staff, solutions to reach the itinerary on time through reliable sources are provided.

Unique service

Besides, it is now cost-effective and practical to use charter flights for crew change since a wide range of charter planes are available on the market. Reduced costs is definitely what companies want but apart from that, they can also enjoy services such as Wi-Fi, video projectors on board for a better trip. Large charter flights even have boardrooms for meetings and comfortable sleeping areas to allow your team to recharge and unwind prior to reaching their destination. This ensures that employees are productive and efficient when they reach their sites of work.

Increased productivity

Charter flights can carry out crew change within short delays and with their expertise and attention to details, crewmembers become more productive after they reach their destination well rested and safely, ready to work. Having an experienced team to face the challenge of transferring your crewmembers to offshore sites is what you need for a successful operation. For example, in areas such as Alaska and Antarctica which are inhospitable locations. In order to avoid lost production time in the oil and gas industry, it is essential to move equipment and spare parts quickly to the remote location within a short notice; to make this possible, charter flights are the most reliable solutions.

Access to remote locations

Accessing remote areas for crew change has never been easier when you opt for charter flights. Aviation consultants are available to assist companies with any issues involved in transporting crewmembers. There are no such things like delays when you opt for group charter flights and the best part is that employees reach their destinations safely. In fact, regular crew change can be arranged even in countries where no scheduled services exist. The company takes care of everything to ensure the journey goes well - from booking, special requests for team members, extra security, cargo and baggage requirements.

Indeed, staff often travel with unusual and oversized cargos to remote areas where the local infrastructure is limited, for instance, oil and gas exploration and production facilities, construction sites and engineering developments.

Reliability

Companies cannot afford to make losses when crew change takes place and hence having a reliable air charter service, backing them up is crucial. Reliability is key to ensure that there is no waste of time and that everything stays under control throughout the whole flight duration since in case of downtime, this could mean loss of profits for the business. Having experts coordinating the flight is a definite advantage for an effective flight planning process. The charter flight will ensure that crewmembers and industry equipment reach on time to project sites, without any error; this is why charter companies track each step prior to the journey to prevent any inconveniences.

Comfort and privacy

A 12-hour flight can be a challenge when you do not like the food on board, get distracted by noises, cannot sleep and have limited space to move around. This is what usually leads to extreme tiredness upon arrival and in case of crew change; this should be avoided at all cost. Hence, the ultimate solution to prevent such distractions is to hire charter flights. Such aircrafts can cater for two or three people or as many as 50. This usually results in uninterrupted sleep and even private discussions among crewmembers.

Comfortable leather seats inside charter flight, heading for crew change.
Crewmembers enjoy the best service and total comfort while being on board on charter flights.

Less rigorous security procedures

Security procedures for commercial airlines are usually tough and tiring with long queues, pat-downs at the terminal entrance and baggage screenings. Crew change normally doesn't have that much time to go through all these and flying in charter planes helps them escape such rigorous inspections. Besides, one of the main advantages is that you are not so restricted as far as baggage are concerned. Crewmembers are allowed to bring larger volumes of liquids in their hand luggage and they don’t have to worry about taking out their electronics during screenings.

Ease of booking online

Due to advanced technology, it is now easier to book charter flights for crew change within a few clicks by entering the company’s website. It is easy to request quotes and compare prices securely via websites, which usually include charter flight cost calculators. The best thing is that those flights work around your schedules, which means that they can be hired within the shortest delays to fly to your destination.

Conclusion

There is no doubt that charter flights play a significant role for efficient crew change, especially during uncertain times, following the Covid-19 pandemic. As a cost-effective and flexible solution, charter flight services ensure that you reach your destination on time and safely, no matter how far the location is. With reliable charter planes, companies can rest assured to have an effective crew change, which will eventually prevent losses from downtime. 

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